Understand your retirement before you live it.

A Certified Personal Retirement Specialist (CPRS™) is a credentialed retirement education specialist recognized by the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. The CPRS™ credential focuses on helping individuals understand retirement options — Social Security, Medicare, retirement accounts, pensions, RMDs, and retirement income strategy — through education, not product sales or fiduciary advice.

Retirement planning education should begin as early as your first paycheck and intensify in the decade before your target retirement age. The most consequential retirement decisions — Social Security claiming, Medicare enrollment, retirement account withdrawal sequencing — are made in the five to ten years before retirement, making age 50 to 65 the highest-leverage planning window.

There is no single retirement number. Your need depends on expected expenses, lifestyle, Social Security benefit, pension income, healthcare costs, and longevity. Retirement readiness is better measured by income replacement ratio, retirement income stack, and a thorough understanding of investment risk, inflation risk, healthcare costs, and longevity risk than by a single dollar amount.

The 4% rule is a guideline suggesting retirees can withdraw 4% of their portfolio in year one of retirement and adjust annually for inflation with a reasonable probability of the portfolio lasting 30 years. It is a starting reference — not a guarantee. Modern retirement income planning often uses dynamic withdrawal, guardrails, or bucket strategies to address sequence of returns risk.

Social Security can be claimed as early as age 62 (with a permanent reduction up to 30%), at Full Retirement Age for 100% of your benefit, or delayed until age 70 for delayed retirement credits that increase benefits by 24% or more.

The right claiming age depends on health, longevity expectations, spousal benefits, work plans, and income needs — and is one of the most important retirement decisions a person makes.

As of 2026, Full Retirement Age (FRA) is 67 for everyone born in 1960 or later. This marks the culmination of a gradual increase that began with the 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act. Claiming at FRA entitles you to 100% of your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA).

Medicare is the federal health insurance program primarily for people age 65 and older. Your Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) is a 7-month window — the 3 months before your 65th birthday month, the birthday month, and the 3 months after.

Missing this window can result in lifelong late-enrollment penalties, making the IEP one of the most time-sensitive deadlines in retirement planning.

Part A covers hospital insurance (inpatient care, skilled nursing, hospice). Part B covers medical insurance (doctor visits, outpatient care) — the standard 2026 premium is $202.90/month. Part C (Medicare Advantage) bundles A, B, and often D into a private-plan alternative to Original Medicare. Part D covers prescription drugs.

Choosing between Original Medicare + Medigap + Part D versus Medicare Advantage is one of the most consequential healthcare decisions in retirement.

A Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) is the minimum amount you must withdraw annually from most tax-deferred retirement accounts — Traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s — once you reach the required beginning age.

Per the IRS, the RMD age is 73 in 2026, rising to 75 in 2033 under SECURE 2.0. RMD amounts are calculated using the IRS Uniform Lifetime Table.

SECURE 2.0 — signed into law in December 2022 — introduced more than 90 retirement provisions rolling out from 2023 through 2027. Key changes include:

· RMD age raised (73 in 2026, 75 in 2033)
· Super catch-up contribution of $11,250 for workers ages 60–63
· Mandatory Roth catch-up contributions for high earners
· Automatic enrollment requirements for new plans
· 529-to-Roth IRA rollover provision

A Traditional IRA generally offers tax-deductible contributions and taxable withdrawals in retirement. A Roth IRA uses after-tax contributions for tax-free qualified withdrawals.

Traditional IRAs are subject to RMDs starting at age 73, while Roth IRAs are not subject to RMDs during the original owner's lifetime — making them powerful for tax-efficient retirement income and legacy planning.

Yes, but if you are under Full Retirement Age and earn above the annual earnings test threshold, Social Security withholds part of your benefit.

In 2026: the earnings limit is $24,480 for those under FRA all year ($1 withheld for every $2 over), and $65,160 in the year you reach FRA ($1 withheld for every $3 over). Once you reach FRA, the earnings test disappears entirely.

IRMAA is a surcharge added to Medicare Part B and Part D premiums for beneficiaries whose Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) exceeds annual thresholds.

In 2026, IRMAA begins at $109,000 for single filers and $218,000 for joint filers, using a two-year lookback (2026 IRMAA is based on 2024 tax returns). IRMAA planning is essential for retirees considering Roth conversions or large IRA withdrawals.